Awakened
by StoryDweller
Summary: Alison Himura is a normal, 16 year old girl. At least, that's what she thinks before she is sent to the one place that can teach her who she really is...
1. Chapter 1

**Awakened**

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own the rights to Kenshin.

As a note, I have nothing else planned for this story. If someone has suggestions, feel free to tell me. I wrote this quite some time ago and don't exactly remember where I was going with it. On with the story!

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

I threw my backpack down onto the ground, digging myself deeper into the rut of familiarity. I've had the same exact routine over the past years, and there was nothing I could really do to change that. I was never a person to get myself involved with anything. I really don't think it would ever be possible. I would simply lose myself in my thoughts, in the mindless television that has captured so many people already. Of course, I could not deny myself as being one of these many people. As I flip through the channels, I'm reminded just of what place I have in this world.

What is that exactly? What makes me, a small speck in comparison to the massive tidal wave of humanity, important?

Nothing.

I'm an average student, with average classes, and average grades.

I have an average, middle class family. A stay at home mom, an office dad, and a protective older brother. The only strange thing about my family is my mom's choice of decoration. She believes we should embrace the sliver of a percentage of the Japanese blood we have, although my family hasn't been associated with Japan for generations. The simple ink paintings and basic furniture can be nice, but it's all topped off by what rests above our fireplace: an ancient katana. A one hundred percent real katana. Me and my brother have never been able to tell what she was thinking, putting a dangerous weapon on display in a house with young children. Apparently, it belonged to our great-however-many-times-over grandfather.

That's about as interesting as we get. A mysterious family heirloom. At this point, it's hard to focus on not focusing, so I turned the TV off, and headed into the kitchen. None of the leftovers in the fridge interested me, and I'm too lazy to cook something for myself, so I'm just going to sleep.

This is Alison, signing off.

Alison closed her journal with a sigh. Her mother had thought she should keep some kind of record of the "most important years of her life," as if she hasn't heard that before. As she got up from her desk to get into her bed, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and paused.

Most people would see a beautiful, young 16 year old. She had light brown hair sprinkled with a natural golden blonde that gently rolled down her back in slight waves. Eyes that were vibrant, sapphire orbs flecked with violet, able to see a person for who they truly were. Soft features complimented by a harsh jaw line, providing a perfect balance. A body toned from always walking wherever she needed to go. She was someone with a classic beauty, unlike the more flashy appeal of the current times.

On the other hand, Alison saw herself to be an average girl. She saw the brown hair as being common, unlike the jet black or brilliant red that was common in her family. Her hair was untamable, unable to be perfect like everyone her age preferred. Her eyes clashed with the lightness of her hair. Her jaw was too sharp, too masculine, and her face looked like it did not belong. Alison could never see her features uniting into what people would call beauty.

Alison shook her head. She hadn't stopped to think about what she looked like in ages, and she wouldn't start now. There was no reason to. And with these final thoughts, Alison fell asleep.

The next morning, the teenager slowly blinked herself awake, ridding herself of the last remnants of sleep. Alison struggled to remember her dream, but she could only remember flashes. There was a man, with blood red hair, demonic amber eyes, and… a sword? She tried to make sense of what she could recall, but put it out of her mind with a growl from her stomach. Of course, she forgot to eat dinner last night. She would be all alone again today. Her brother, Jake, was away at college. Her parents were away visiting some distant relatives that Alison had no interest in seeing, or even meeting for that matter. At least, she thought she was alone, when she heard a door shut.

"Jake?" she called out. Could her brother be on break and forgot to mention it? She pondered this, and all her thoughts were once again halted.

_Crash._ There was no doubt. Alison knew that there was someone in the house who certainly didn't belong there. As possibilities ran through her mind, one thought recurred: she has to find a way to protect herself. Immediately, she thought of the sword. Her room was near the living room, and it sounded with the crash was farther away. She could possibly reach it…

But that moment wasn't a time for possibilities. She had to try. There was no point to hiding, and even if there was, the adrenaline coursing through her veins had awakened some kind of instinct. And it was calling for the sword. Time would be key for her. She had already wasted enough time trying to decide what to do. And her body started to move, not needing to think of what it was doing. Alison ran with an eerie silence that could have only been achieved through practice, which she had none of. As she grabbed the sword, she wondered where the sudden confidence came from. She was by no means a swordsman, but a voice from inside her told her differently.

Alison held the sword with confidence, knowing that her instincts could guide her. Just as the intruder stepped into the room, she unsheathed the sword. It was plain that whoever this man was, he was intending on stealing whatever he could find that could be valuable. Amusement flashed through his eyes as he saw the sword in Alison's hands. He could not help but laugh.

"What's a small little woman like you gonna do with a big ol' sword like that?"

The only answer Alison gave him was a small smirk, showing her intent. She ran forward with deadly speed and accuracy, thrusting the sword through his chest. The last thing he saw was a flash of molten amber in her eyes and the splatter of his own blood on her face.

Alison Himura had stolen the thief's life. And she could never turn back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Awakened**

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own the rights to Kenshin.

Once again, I have nothing else planned for this story. This is the last of what I have written. If someone has suggestions, feel free to tell me. I don't exactly remember where I was going with the rest of the plot. On with the story!

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

A million thoughts ran through Alison's head at once. She had just killed a man. She didn't even know his name! And what did she feel? Not regret. Not horror. Not shame. Not even sadness.

Alison felt truly alive for the first time in her life. The way she had complete control over what happened was exhilarating. She tried to attribute it to the adrenaline still coursing through her system, but the small whisper in the back of her mind made her have doubts. This was who she was meant to be. A killer. The sudden shock at this thought made Alison drop the katana, and back away from the scene of what she had just done.

All Alison wanted to do at this point was curl up in a corner and cry herself to sleep. She was so confused, so baffled by the sudden appearance of these thoughts. She had to do something though; she couldn't leave a body in their living room. Alison let her thoughts die down and automatically called the police. She wasn't thinking of how to explain what happened. She dialed 9-1-1, and told the operator in an unusually calm voice as to how someone broke into her home, and the thief was killed. She couldn't bring herself to say she murdered him, even in self-defense. As she hung up, the gravity of the situation hit her with the force of a train.

_I killed a man. The police are on the way. I killed a man. And I'm stuck at the scene of the crime._

And what she had to do clicked in her head, just as defending herself with the sword had. She had to run. Alison had to disappear, or who knows what would happen to her. She sprinted towards the back door with sudden energy, jolted the door open, and continued as if her life depended on it. Her house was right by a forest, which she used to her advantage. Every path, every tree, every root that she could trip on was etched into her mind by her frequent visits to escape her mundane life. Soon enough, the sun was low in the sky.

_Had that much time already passed? The… incident happened when I woke up this morning. And I've been running all day?_

Just then, Alison noticed something odd. She didn't recognize the area she was in anymore, although she knew every inch of these woods. With another glance at the sky, all feelings of familiarity were lost. Alison caught the last rays of the sunset, unlike any other that she had seen. Living near the city had caused the colors of the sunset to be stained by pollution. There was no way something as pure, as beautiful as what she saw now could be tainted by man.

_Where am I? It can't be anywhere near where I live..._

Her thoughts slowed down as she realized how little energy she had. If she could just make it to shelter, she would be able to figure it all out by morning. Before Alison could even do something like reach shelter, she collapsed.

For the second morning in a row, Alison woke up slightly confused. She knew her mom had enjoyed Japanese themes, but she didn't ever remember her mother going as far as this…

And then everything that had happened the day before came rushing back to her. A feeling of nausea swept through her, but she could not let that stop her now. Alison had to figure out where she was, and how she got there. As she looked around the room, seeing no traces of modern technology, one thought rang through her mind: _This must be a dream._ Right in front of her was the man she had dreamt of the day before, but with violet eyes. He didn't look so demonic, but she had no doubt this was the same man. While all this was coming into focus, she noticed that the man had been talking to her. In fluent Japanese. At least something useful came out of her mother's obsession; Alison had been talking to her family in Japanese her whole life. She snapped out of her thoughts, catching the end of what he said.

"…like some food? This one found you collapsed in the forest while walking home, this one did. Surely you need energy"

Alison's mind was desperately trying to make some kind of sense of her situation. This man, who looked so intimidating, was talking very… unusually. Why couldn't he talk normally? And why would he take a random stranger into his home?

Alison cleared her throat, making sure she would be able to speak. "Would you mind explaining what happened? Like who you are? And where I am? And why you helped someone you didn't even know?"

"This one will explain, but may this one know your name first?"

She looked at him, wondering if she should trust this stranger, who she had never seen before. At least, never actually met, considering her dreams. Being around him felt oddly safe though, and she felt an urge to tell him, to get a chance to learn more about this mystery man. "I'm Alison." As soon as she said that, she knew it wasn't enough. "Alison Himura," she corrected herself.

The man looked at her in confusion, but quickly shook his head. "Himura-dono, I –"

Alison interrupted him. "Please, just Alison." She didn't understand why she felt the need to correct him. It could possibly be that she felt bad getting such respect from someone older than her.

He continued "Okay, Alison-dono. This one is known as Kenshin. This one has already made breakfast, if you will stay."

If anything, the man had confused Alison even more. Questions still bounced around her mind, and of all the things for her to ask, she blurted the one that was the least important, "Why are we speaking Japanese?"

Kenshin simply gave her a small smile, and said "That is because we are in Japan, that we are," and walked away. He didn't even give her enough time to register that she didn't know what had happened to her, why she was here, or even the last name of the person who had saved her.


End file.
